A Veteran's Day Wedding
by Our Midnight's Musings
Summary: Jackie and Hyde are finally getting tying the knot! The only problem? It's not going how they planned it- at all.
1. Chapter 1

Just something that's been rattling in my mind! Let me know what you think. :3

* * *

**POINT PLACE, WISCONSIN.**

**OCTOBER 31rst, 1981.**

**8:47 p.m.**

**LOCATION: The Forman's Kitchen**

"Hi Sweetie, this is your mother calling to wish you a spooky Halloween! Although, it doesn't sound as nice over the phone!" Kitty Forman says with all the passive aggression she can muster. "Maybe if you came to visit every once in a while- yes, I know you and Donna have been busy with work." The small woman rolls her eyes and drums her fingers on the counter in irritation. It wasn't fair, that redhead harlot got to spend every waking moment with her little boy while his own mother had to beg for some quality time! Wasn't it enough that he moved away as soon as he came home from Africa?

Unfortunately, any time she mentioned making time in his schedule for some bonding time a small tiff would ensue. She could practically hear him twitching over the line. Better change the subject. "Anyways, how have things been at school?"

It only takes five minutes of Eric's bragging about his new job as a substitute teacher for her to lose interest. Normally she would want to hear all about his successful career, but it got old after the twentieth time. "Oh, that's nice dear. Did I mention that I made your favorite pumpkin pancakes with little jack-o-lantern faces this morning? Your father absolutely adored them! What did Donna make you?" she interjects. _Perhaps_ by reminding him of all the delicious food that he was missing out on, it will provide some incentive to visit more often.

Her plan quickly backfires. Suddenly, her face scrunches up into a scowl. Count Chocula? For goodness sakes- no, she must resist! "That... sounds yummy." Like hell it was! Sugary, chocolate cereal was hardly a suitable breakfast for a hardworking, young man. Her poor baby was going to starve to death if that masculine feminist didn't learn how to cook a proper meal!

"So, how about next weekend you two come down here for Veterans Day? We'll be having Johnny Gibson play his guitar at the barbecue- you remember, Janet's boy from down the street? It'll be so fun!" The teenager was a handsome young man, and such a great singer too! The neighbours would flock to the Forman's party this year, that's for sure. Even her grumpy husband enjoyed when the boy sang 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee' at the 4th of July shindig Bob hosted.

Much to her great dismay, her son begins to pull together an excuse that will guarantee his absence. "Well, I just hope you're going to be here for Thanksgiving. Otherwise, your father won't be the only one threatening to put a foot up your a-s-s!" She laughs a little maniacally. She really wants to yell at him for being an ungrateful, little liar but she knows it would only do more harm than good.

"Love you, honey. Bye!" After slamming the phone back onto the hook, Kitty stomps into the living room. Red looks up from the television and tries not to wince when he notices the distraught face his wife has on.

"So... how's the Dumbass?" the bald man smiles hesitantly. He knows what's coming and it isn't pretty.

She marches straight to their minibar and pulls out a bottle of white wine. "Wonderful!" said Kitty angrily.

Just as he opens his mouth to at least _try _to console her, the doorbell rings. "Hold that thought." Red stands and walks over the door, upon opening it, he finds a group of children dressed up in costumes. Great, just what he needed.

"Trick or treat!" They all sing while holding out their bags and buckets.

"Beat it, we ran out of candy an hour ago."

The kids all give each other conflicted looks. No candy? A boy dressed as a pirate, probably their leader, steps up to the older man. "Mr. Forman, it's Halloween. You know the rules; either you give us a treat or we get to play a trick on you," he states firmly. His entourage immediately voices their agreement, but a few stand silent and look warily at the grown-up. Anyone who had known Mr. Forman long enough knew that he did not respond well to threats, no matter what age they were.

Red grins menacingly at this. Boy, this twerp didn't have a clue who he was messing with. "Oh yeah? How's about this for a trick?" He reaches over and pulls a rope cleverly disguised as a decorative noose. Without warning, a grim reaper falls from the roof and hangs in front of the porch. The children scream, absolutely terrified, and run away at a pace that would put any Olympic sprinter to shame.

"Happy Halloween!" Red laughs wickedly and waves to the kids. After walking back inside, he finds his wife with an unimpressed demeanour. "Oh come on, that was funny!"

Shaking her head at her husband, Kitty goes to flop herself onto the couch. "Oh Red, it feels so lonely here without the kids around." Eric and Donna were in Madison, both still in college. Eric was working on his credentials to become a teacher and Donna had gotten a position at the local radio station. Then, after Steven and Jackie got back together, they left for a fresh start in Milwaukee. There, W.B. had given his son a new job and Jackie was now a co-host on a popular talk show called, "What's New Wisconsin?". And last year, Fez had moved to Chicago to study theatre, living in the same apartment complex as Kelso and his family.

As for Laurie... well, about 5 months ago, she had sent them a postcard from Los Angeles.

"What's wrong with living in Point Place? We have great neighborhoods, nice people, the mall and as of yesterday, a Taco Bell! A freakin' _Taco Bell_, Red!" she wails and waves her hands in the air, upset. The town was much more cultured now!

Red sighs and sits next to the blonde. He brings her into his arms and gives her a big squeeze, thus relaxing her. "Kitty, calm down. This is what happens when you're a parent; the baby birds hatch from their eggs, grow up and fly out of the nest." He pauses for a minute. "Granted, only one out of the six eggs belonged to us, but they're gone now. Out in the world and living their own lives, as adults should." Although he always pretended to be relieved by the lack of kids hanging around his basement, he did sympathize with Kitty. Sometimes the house felt too quiet, almost to the point where it was pretty lonely. He missed bantering with Eric during breakfast, having car talk with Steven, and catching Kelso playing a prank. He missed Jackie's loud ranting and Donna's sarcasm. Hell, he even missed making foreigner jokes (threats) at Fez.

He loved them like family, but they also needed to learn how to be on their own. Rather than all of them staying in Point Place, stuck and unfulfilled, he wanted them to branch out. They were young, there was so much for them to see and experience.

Leaning into his embrace, Kitty contemplates her husband's words. He's not wrong, in fact, she agrees with him wholeheartedly. She was very well aware of the big dreams each one of them cultivated since they were tiny. And none of that could be achieved in a low-income suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Still, it would be sweet if her babies could fly back to the nest one day.

Without warning, a dozen of small impacts hit the door and windows. The splatting noises caused them to jump from their seats. What in the hell just happened? Realization sets in and Kitty can't help but let out a soft chuckle. "Speaking of eggs."

Furious, the former Navy soldier darts after the scoundrels. "Hey! You damn kids, wait till I get my hands on you!" Is all that can be heard, along with several shrieks, from the open doorway.

Kitty laughs nervously and pours more liquor into her glass. Hopefully, the neighbours don't see her husband chasing around their children. That would really make for an awkward conversation next weekend.

Looking around the house in a somewhat bored manner, she frowns. What now?

"Oh, I know! I'll call Steven!" With that idea, she hurries off back into the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hyde and Jackie's Apartment in Milwaukee**

"Yeah, we'll be there. Red even called and gave us a personal invitation. Nothing makes you want to come and support the troops more than a good ol' fashioned foot up the ass."

Jackie laughed lightly as she tiptoed out of the hallway. She had heard the phone ring from their bedroom. At first, she had thought that it was a bit odd to get a call so late at night, on Halloween no less, but it made sense now. Her mother-in-law had been calling at all hours of the day for the last few weeks.

"Of course I'm a better son than him, Mrs. Forman." Her fiancee wrapped an arm around her shoulder once she sat next to him on their midnight blue couch. She let out a heavy sigh and snuggled closer to his chest. God, she loved the way her man smelled. Like sandalwood with a hint of his own natural musk.

"Say, you know what'll really teach him a lesson? Threaten to show all of his embarrassing baby pictures to everyone at the party. That'll get him to start showing up more." Hyde smirked devilishly. From her position, she could hear the conversation coming to an end. A ball of anxiousness that had already settled in her stomach since earlier was now coiling tighter. "You too, bye." He said before putting the phone back on the receiver.

"What did Mrs. Forman want?" Jackie mumbled tiredly.

Steven yawned and laid his head back. "Just making sure we show up to her Veterans Day barbeque. Forman and Donna ain't making it, so she's pretty pissed." He rubbed her knee affectionately. "Now we're the favorites. Good stuff, huh?" He snickered.

"Oh, yeah..." She didn't really care about them right now, honestly. Donna had called her yesterday and told her that they weren't going to come this year herself. Personally, she had found it kind of rude that they kept dodging visits with their parents. Even though they were busy reconnecting after getting back together again, that was no reason to dismiss everyone.

Hell, she and Steven had the more traumatic breakup compared to them. And they still made the effort to keep close in touch. They were grateful to the Formans for taking them in and treating them like family when their real family couldn't be bothered to take care of them.

"Man, I gotta call up Leo tomorrow and see how Grooves is holding up. I just got the numbers in yesterday and things don't look like they're selling too well." Steven grumbled and threw his sunglasses onto the coffee table. Records were starting to become a thing of the past. The new generation of music wasn't all that great too. They hadn't been to Point Place in a few good months either. Who the hell knows what was waiting for him at the store.

Times were changing fast, and people just didn't have good taste anymore.

"I'm sure things are fine. Leo hasn't accidentally set the place on fire after a circle yet."

"Yeah, that's cuz I've got Bob popping up and checking in on him. He only asks that he get a big discount on every Neil Diamond and Tom Jones record. No sweat off my back."

Noticing that his girlfriend didn't take offence to one of her favorite singers being criticized, he turned to face her. She was right by his side, but her eyes looked far away. "Hey, what's wrong? You've been acting kinda funny lately." He had noticed that she wasn't as chatty or responsive as she usually was. Even at W.B.'s office party, she hadn't made one comment about how much hotter she looked than all the other women. And she was dressed up like freaking Wonder Woman.

It was a weird experience being turned on by bloomers. He wasn't the only one to find her star-spangled ass sexy, though. Plenty of his co-workers were caught staring. Thankfully no one was stupid enough to hit on the boss's daughter-in-law, or else the boss's son would have to hand out several ass-kickings.

"Huh? No, I haven't!" Jackie yelled defensively. She sat up and started fidgeting with the hem of her pyjama top. Oh crap, this was happening.

"Oh come on, you can't even look me in the eyes!" Huffing, he grabbed her waist and pulled her into his lap. This way, she'd have no escape. "Alright Grasshopper, spill it."

"..."

He gave her a little shake. "Jackie."

Turning around, although still in his arms, the brunette gazed into her fiancee's aquamarine eyes. She let out a deep breath that she didn't even realize she was holding in. Steven looked back at her with the same intensity he always did when things got serious. If she could feel anything more than her nerves, she probably would have been slightly turned on. But right now she needed to bite the bullet, even if she was about to change their relationship forever. "I'm pregnant."

Immediately his eyes widened and his grip on her loosened. "Oh."

Jackie wiped her misty eyes with the back of her hand and went back to her seat next to him. Crying was not an option... yet. They needed to talk about this; put everything on the table and come up with a plan.

"Are you sure?" was the first thing he managed to say after a few minutes of silence.

She nodded slowly. "I've known for a couple of days, actually. I missed my period and got tested when you were at work. The doctor only confirmed it this morning."

Sighing, the former burnout ran his hand through his hair "Man, that's why you were all quiet today. You should've told me sooner."

"I know, I'm sorry! But I was scared and didn't know how to tell you!"

"Gee, how about- 'Hey, I'm knocked up! Guess we really should have watched that rerun of Family Ties instead, huh?" Hyde threw his arms up and leaned back into the couch.

Jackie jumped off of his lap, smacking his shoulder in anger. "How can you even joke about this?! This is serious, Steven!" She started to pace around the living room. Letting out a small cry, she ground her palms into her face. "What are we going to do?"

Her fiancé sighed and walked up to her. Pulling her hands away, he gently wiped the tears that falling from her eyes. "Well, for starters, you can stop hitting me. Won't be good for the kid to see his mother getting arrested for domestic abuse." When Jackie pouted, he tapped the underside of her chin. "Relax, doll. We both make enough money to support ourselves and whoever comes along. And when it's time for you to stop working, I'm sure Ol' Grandpa Burnett won't mind helping out." He chuckled lightly.

Falling into his arms, the brunette pressed her forehead into his clavicle. "Do you really think we'll be okay?"

Steven squeezed her before answering in a calm voice. "Yeah... I do."

"Thank you, puddin'." Jackie murmured. This is why they were perfect together. When one was a paranoid mess, the other knew exactly how to comfort them.

Running his fingers through her hair, he chuckles. "Well, better let Donna know that someone isn't getting loaded for their bachelorette party."

Like someone splashed a bucket of cold water on her face, she jumps to her feet again. "The wedding!" How could she forget about the wedding?! Pacing around, she almost screams. "Oh my God, what are we gonna do about the wedding?!"

Confusion consumes him again. "What do you mean?"

"Steven, we can't have the wedding and the honeymoon anymore!" Her fiancee's furrowed brows only serve to frustrate her more. Was the pot finally taking its effect on his limited amount of brain cells? "It's in six months, and by then I'll be as big as a beached whale!"

Oh, that was an issue. "Um, why don't we just ask them to let out your dress a bit?"

Rolling her eyes, she slumps back down next to him. "How can we even afford to think about my dress in the first place? We can't raise a child in a one-bedroom apartment, especially not in this neighbourhood! We're going to have to move!" She has a good point. Looking around their place, Hyde can't imagine what a pain in the ass it would be to bring their baby here. It was too small and the heating sucked due to the landlord's cheap tendencies. The people in the building weren't too noisy, but they lived next to a busy intersection. As a young couple living on their own for the first time, these were only small hindrances that didn't seem all that problematic.

Until now.

When they decided to move to Milwaukee together, it was mostly due to the need to start over. They needed to be alone, away from their friends and family to focus on their relationship. Besides, Jackie had scarce job opportunities in Point Place. Here, she was able to attend a bigger college and through connections, gain a position on a local entertainment channel as a co-host. And as much as he loved Grooves, he wanted to show Jackie that she meant more to him than a record store.

So, he sold a decent portion of Grooves to Fenton. And in return for a percentage of commissions and rights to the store, he agreed to let Leo work there (whenever he remembered to wander in). All in all, it was a good business decision that gave him the freedom to move away.

But now they had bigger problems on their plate. "Steven, what's going to happen to us? We're totally screwed." Jackie moaned.

That was a tough question. He exhaled through his nose. "I don't know. Do you still want to get married?"

"Of course I do! More than anything..." was her immediate answer. All these new developments didn't change the way she felt about their union. The timing was just inconvenient, but she still wanted to be Mrs. Jackie Hyde.

Relief washed over him like a wave. He wasn't sure how he would have handled a different answer. If this situation had occurred years ago, he wouldn't have doubted his chick's position on marriage for a second. Now, he wasn't so sure. She had changed, matured a lot over the years. Sometimes it felt like they had switched roles. Jackie was zen throughout their new relationship, and yet all he thought about was sealing the deal. "So do I, doll."

Love and adoration filled her mismatched eyes. In the end, that was all she needed to hear. "You know what? Screw it, let's just do it!" Jackie exclaimed as she hopped back onto the sofa.

"Huh?"

She squeezed his arm tight, grinning. "Let's just get married, baby! No wedding, no reception, no honeymoon!"

"I'm not following." Hell, Kelso wasn't lying when he said pregnant chicks were nuts.

"We'll go to the courthouse and sign papers, then boom! We're married!" Easy peasy! All they had to do was elope!

Alarms shot off in his head. "Wait, Jackie. Think about this, man." Grasping her hands in his, he stared deep into her soul. The stress and hormones were making rash decisions for her. "What about your dress? The bridesmaids, the flowers, the color scheme, the cake, dancing- all that crap? You've been planning this wedding ever since you could talk." Even if she had grown out of most of her shallowness, this wedding was too important for her to just throw out the window. On more than one occasion they had broken up because she refused to compromise. How could she settle for getting hitched in front of a judge?

"I know, but this baby changes everything. We're gonna need the money." She knew exactly what he was trying to say. Steven thought that she was being too hasty and would come to regret her decision. Maybe that was the case, but it didn't matter now. Besides, they could always have a fancy vow-renewal down the line- in fact, she _guaranteed_ they would. "Plus, can you imagine me walking down the aisle all fat? I mean, I would still look absolutely stunning, but, ew."

"Jackie..."

She pressed a manicured finger to his lips, dissuading any further arguments. "Look, I love you and I want to be with you, forever. After all the drama and hurt... we've come this far together. That matters more to me than any fantasy wedding."

If her sixteen-year-old self had heard her say that, she might have gotten slapped. But she wasn't that selfish teenager anymore. She was going to be a mother and wife. And if being raised by Pam and Jack Burkhardt has taught her anything, it's that money and parties shouldn't come before your child's happiness. "Having your baby is the reality I've been blessed with, Pudding Pop." The brunette replaces her digit with her lips, kissing him lightly. "Even if it is a little early."

How could anyone argue with that? "Okay." He breathes softly against her, eyes half-lidded.

Smiling, she pecks him one more time. "So, what do you want to do now?" Jackie reaches over for the TV guide. The night was still young, and she wanted nothing more than to kick back and relax. Especially now that the giant weight was off her shoulders; might as well enjoy what was left of Halloween.

"Well, I'm not opposed to doing it," Hyde smirks.

She smacks the paper manual against his chest, slightly annoyed. "Ugh, seriously?" After all that they just talked about, sex was still on his mind?

"Hey, the damage is already done so why not?" He laughs and tightly presses her against his body. "Let's celebrate the way we do best, baby."

She can't help but let out a giggle of her own. Guess some things never change after all. "Shut up and take me to bed, you perv."

Steven eagerly grants her request. With one swift motion, he picks her up in a princess hold and strides over to their room. "Anything for you, Mama."


End file.
